Children enjoy playing with toys. In particular, toy puppets may be used for a variety of games and amusements, as children can invent stories and act out the parts of the characters of the particular hand puppet they are playing with. In a group, if each child has a different puppet, each child may take on a different role and the group may act out any number of stories.
Finger puppets, i.e., small puppets that can be held on or by a finger, are useful in such play situations, especially when space is limited, such as a confined space, a small room or a limited portion of a larger room. In those situations, a child may easily slip a finger puppet onto a finger and act out a role.
Finger puppets could be more useful in play situations if they had more features and properties. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,550 discloses a sound-generating simulated finger amusement device, but the device does not articulate, and is limited in its applicability for games and role-playing with young children. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,874 discloses a sound-generating finger puppet, but the puppet articulates only about its base. This puppet does not allow for head or mouth movement, and is thus limited in “mouthing” the words from the child during his or her turn at play.
Puppets may also be used to acquaint children with the notes of the musical scale. U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,132 features a series of puppet characters, each of which is associated with a note of the musical scale. These characters, while potentially useful for teaching the notes of the musical scale, seem more appropriate for teaching/learning situations than for interactive playing and imaginative use. What is needed is a puppet that has more potential for stimulating play-acting for children using one or more of the puppets. What is needed is a puppet that can articulate and allow a child more opportunities for expression when playing with the puppet, or with a series of like puppets.